How Journey Succeeded to Become Game of the Year

"In all regards, Journey was a beautiful game. It stunned gamers everywhere with its breathtaking visuals, despite how simple the graphics and models were compared to other PS3 games and other games on the market. While it did have amazing titles like Mass Effect 3, The Walking Dead, and Halo 4 competing against it, it still pulled through and won the game. But how? What does it have that these high-budget games don’t? The answer is simplicity, innovation, and intrigue."

[Ezz2013]

it matter most to make what you love to make
not being forced to make something the publisher want you to make
that's why i respect sony
they give every 1st/2nd party dev the freedom to make what they like
that's why every year you find ps3 exclusive win huge load of GOTY awards

[NukaCola]

This is a WELL SAID. You get a lot of jerkwads who are quick to hate and scream "fanboy" but this is the truth. Sony is about games and they support developers, maybe too much, but Sony Devs make some of the most amazing and innovating titles around. When you buy a PS3/PSP/Vita exclusive, you will usually find something new and inventive. And even if it is not your thing, it's still something impressive and fresh and original. This is why I love being a PlayStation Gamer. I enjoy other systems as well, but Sony devs make the most rewarding experiences and really love they put games and gamers first.

[Irishguy95]

Can't argue with that. The only ones who get as much freedom as Sony devs are Indie devs. I wouldn't give it Goty self for various reasons(as seen in my previous comments)/

My Goty...probably dishonored. Okami HD would probably get it but it doesn't count since it's old.

Tensoftube down there...

Come on. Goty from each site is normally flawed. Cod Cod Cod normally. The websites just roll with the flow. Whether or not Journey is Goty for someone depends entirely on themselves. And what they would allow themselves to get something like that award. Journey is a great experience. It was one of my favorite this year. I still could not give it game of the year. It's too...Unique. It's more of an Art piece than a video game. You often hear the term 'Games can be art'. In this case it's Art presented in the form of a game.

There's alot of things that stand out like this in alot of entertainment mediums. They are too different or something. It's hard to explain but i'm sure some people will understand me.

[NastyLeftHook0]

its ok, i know how you feel...

[360ICE]

And I'm sure they won't. Here's my interpretation of what you just said:

"Well, Journey is one fine game, but why did they go and make it so unique? You pushed my buttons on that, Thatgamecompany! You cursed non-conformists. Now, if someone makes Journey 2 I might be on board. With shooting, realistic weapons and a new Dante. Because my motto is, if you switch the leaderboards for beautiful paintings, it's not a game at all."

That's exactly what you said.

[IAMERROR]

Sadly I couldn't get into it, looks great though.

[aquamala]

So.. Your opinion of the game would be different if its not a ps3 exclusive?

[Ezz2013]

no ...but why do you say that ??!!
is something from what i said is not true ??!!

EDIT: @aquamala
how many games thatgamecompany made outside of sony console this gen ?!!
non

those games would they even exist if sony didn't help them and give them the freedom they want ?? no

i do give thatgamecompany credit for their incredible work and those amazing games

and will support them as long as they make games no matter which system they make it on

and yes if MS did something like that i would respect them too

why is it hard for you to admit that sony is doing a amazing job with 1st/2nd party dev ?!!
and you talk to me like i'm ps3 fanboy
when i own every console and gaming pc ??!!
when i say something good about sony i'm a fanboy
you would like me if i bash them all the time right ?!

[aquamala]

All the credit should go to thatgamecompany, why are you giving credit to Sony?

If Journey is a 360 exclusive, would you be posting here about how much you respect Microsoft?

[room414]

This is a statement from thatgamecompany:

When we were poor kids out of college, Sony offered to fund three games from us, which was a dream come true. There's no way we could have made "flOw" or "Flower" or "Journey".

http://thatgamecompany.com/... (in FAQ section)

The game was originally given a year to be made. Sony was patient enough to extend the dev time to three years.

Ezz2013 couldn't be more right. Sony deserves a ton of credit.

[P_Bomb]

@room414

Great link, right from the horse's mouth. Some people are just determined to not give credit where it's due. Hard to disagree with the devs themselves.

[SnakeCQC]

there are more hipsters than we previously thought?

[doogiebear]

What's there not to like about a 2 hour walking simulator?

[from the beach]

It may have succeeded to become this website's game of the year, certainly wasn't mine.

[fabod86]

Not only this site... ;)

[from the beach]

Not only not my GOTY either!

[goldwyncq]

Not my GOTY as well but it's undeniable how beautiful this game looks.

[MysticStrummer]

It was GotY for many people and on many websites.

[sdozzo]

Top ten worthy. Not number one though. You guys are trying to hard to be trendy.

[NastyLeftHook0]

because it was the best game of 2012. it got game of the year from ign, gamespot ect, and that alone proves it was and is the best game of 2012.

haters are gonna hate.

[MasterCornholio]

If it was multiplatform they would be saying something different but since its a PS3 exclusive they are just jealous that it isn´t on their console.

I havent played Journey yet so i cant say its my game of the year however out of all the games that i played this year Dishonored is probably my favorite and Vanquish (even though its a game from last year).

[TongkatAli]

Played it a friends house, was blown away how the small the download file is and the game is Fken huge.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

I am sorry but since 2012 is the year to be hip and trendy...I would say The Walking Dead is GOTY over Journey.

The Walking Dead can be played many times over with different outcomes and changes to the story.

Journey is only 2 hours long and doesn't have a real story.

GOTY is The Walking Dead, NOT Journey regardless of what this article is trying to insinuate.

What baffles me is how an indy game regardless if it's Journey or The Walking Dead can be considered GOTY. We are talking about the BEST game released this year. When measured up against titles like Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, Dishonored, Borderlands 2 etc I'm sorry but Journey and The Walking Dead don't come anywhere NEAR the greatness of those titles. Graphics, Story, Multiplayer etc....

Indy games are NOT GOTY contenders. They should have their own category and that's it.

Giving GOTY to indy devs could be a slippery slope. Why should we get games like Uncharted, Gears of War, Halo 4, Battlefield etc if the GOTY titles go to low budget games? What's stopping big name devs to make low budget games if those are the games that are going to be recognized in the industry?

There is more risk in dumping tens of millions of dollars into trying to make a AAA. Should all multi million $$$ devs take the easy way out and make cheap affordable titles?

NO.

Keep indy games separate from high cost titles. This way there won't be any of this BS GOTY titles going to low budget indy games that don't compare to many of the big budget titles.

[Redempteur]

and you think journey can't be replayed ?
the (real) theme of teh game is multiple journey ..it's almost impossible to find everything by yourself anyway , so replaying is highly enouraged in this game.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

You saying "and you think journey can't be replayed ?" is a redundant question. Of course it can be replayed, but it will ALWAYS be the same. There is no real "replayability". Nothing to entice the gamer to revisit the game anytime soon.

Journey doesn't "change" with each play through.

There is no "multiplayer" where you can create a different "experience".

It's a good game for a single playthrough with co-op but once finished, there is nothing pulling the gamer back into the game to play again thinking there is something new to experience in the game.

This is not a knock against the game, it's an indy game. Indy games are limited to what they can offer simply because of resource restrictions.

Bottom line is, Journey is NOT a GOTY title. It's NOT the BEST GAME released this year. There just isn't enough in Journey for it to actually contend with the bigger IP's that had higher budgets.

[Redempteur]

you haven't played journey ..
The experience you get ( while playing ) is different each journey. and that's also what makes it so great
So yes journey does change everytime you play
Yes there is multiplayer .. part of the charm is to find strangers to journey with

Also this is not a budget issue it's a thatgamecompany game with the help of santa monica studios and funded by sony .. ( if you think those names aren't big enough do forgive me )
There was a lot more than you think that went into designing the game.

In short Lvl_up_gamer , i encourage you to play journey again ( to find hidden secrets ) and to experience another journey.. you'll see how different the game will be.

[Lvl_up_gamer]

Uh...Yes.

I have played Journey. I bought it when it hit the $10 mark.

It's a good game. I enjoyed it for what it was, but in NO way is it a GOTY. Compared to ME3, Halo 4, Borderlands 2 and Dishonored and the amazing amount of content, graphic fidelity, story and replayability Journey just doesn't compare. Journey is a great game for an Indy title. It's one of my top indy titles released this gen but it's just plain ignorant to think it's they best and ultimate game released this gen compared to the other titles I mentioned.

Sorry to all those who think the production value of AAA multi billion dollar IP's are on the same level as low budget indy titles.

[Redempteur]

"it's just plain ignorant to think it's they best and ultimate game released this gen compared to the other titles I mentioned."

this gen ? maybe not .

This year ? of course ..the fact that despite what journey is, it still manages to get awards like these is proof enough that it's a game like no other and clearly deserve the praises and the awards it got.
And that includes ..GOTY of course

[MysticStrummer]

"GOTY is The Walking Dead, NOT Journey regardless of what this article is trying to insinuate.

What baffles me is how an indy game regardless if it's Journey or The Walking Dead can be considered GOTY."

Make up your mind.

Loved Walking Dead, but Journey blew me away. You may think big budget titles are more deserving of awards, but the vast majority of them are slight variations of previous big budget titles, especially if those predecessors got big sales. Games like Journey are rare by comparison. They stand apart from the crowd and so are worthy of awards and recognition.

[Hicken]

You- and others, like from the beach above- try WAY too hard to discredit things.

Journey actually DOES have a real story. Did you pay attention to it, by any chance? It was pretty much right in your face... just... without words.

The story doesn't change, nor does the outcome. But the Journey is never the same. The six times I've played through it, it's been completely different every time.

Of course, anybody with eyes can see you don't know what you're talking about. You give GOTY to The Walking Dead, then say no indie game should be a contender.

GOTY is for the best game of the year. PERIOD. You can try and come up with a bunch of BS reasons, but in the end, you're just a bunch of BS reasons.

Better luck next time.

[Quiescent]

You should be a mute and should never ever type anything again. What I just read from you is BS to the max. So you do like equality eh? well bite the dust indie games are just as important as full retail releases your just a jealous sad imbecile who wont accept defeat plus its an opinion people all choose something different its just Journey shined into the hearts and gamers and you wont accept that insecure bastard

[Kos-Mos]

Game of the year, where? All i did for three hours were pushing the left analog stick upwards.

[P_Bomb]

Sad that you never made it out of the tutorial then.

[Y_5150]

Journey is great. Game of the year is suited for it. But personally I'm loving PlayStation All Stars better than that game. Journey has a place in my heart though...